My Adopted Sister Rejected the Comatose Duke, So I Married Him and Became His Duchess Chapter 10

My Adopted Sister Rejected the Comatose Duke, So I Married Him and Became His Duchess Chapter 10

“What?”

I was still lost in the joy of receiving the estates and did not understand his question at first.

Alexander smiled softly.

“To preserve the dignity and restraint expected of a nobleman, and because Vivian disliked the smell, I

always told everyone that I hated cheese. During the six months you cared for me, my body was unable to speak. So how did you learn that secret?”

He paused, his sharp gaze settling on my face.

“Evelyn, tell me the truth. While my mind was separated from my body, were you able to see my spirit?”

So his earlier question had not only been intended to confirm my identity.

He had also been testing his own suspicions.

I nervously looked away.

“While you were unconscious, you occasionally talked in your sleep. I remained here day and night, so I

happened to overhear you.”

“Is that so? What exactly did I say in my sleep?”

“You said you missed the smell terribly. You also said that once you awakened, you would eat an entire

wheel of cheese by yourself…”

The moment the words left my mouth, I clapped a hand over my lips.

Oh no.

I had repeated his spirit’s exact words without changing a single one.

When Alexander saw my cheeks burning and my obvious panic, he finally gave his first genuine smile since

awakening.

“That was when I first suspected you could hear me. How else could you have asked the kitchen to send up

an entire wheel of cheese the day after I mentioned it?”

“Whenever I said I wanted to hear a particular epic, you would soon ask a minstrel to recite it for me. I

thought our hearts were simply in tune. It turns out you could see my spirit all along.”

He deliberately lowered his voice.

“Be honest. Did you volunteer to take Vivian’s place because you heard me promise two estates?”

I smiled sheepishly.

Who would not want enough wealth to change their entire life?

The Windermere family possessed vast lands.

Surely Alexander would not hold my initial, admittedly selfish motive against me.

After thinking for a moment, I defended myself.

“There are countless people in this world, but I was the only one who could see your spirit and hear your

thoughts. Surely that counts as fate bringing us together?”

The atmosphere in the recovery chamber suddenly softened.

I realised that my words sounded far more intimate than I had intended.

Just as I was about to correct myself, Alexander nodded solemnly.

“You are right. Fate brought us together and gave me the chance to discover who truly cared about me.”

With some effort, he raised his arm and slowly reached towards me.

Then he gently took my hand.

“Evelyn, I admired the way you bravely spoke the truth today. From now on, the Gray family will never

mistreat you again. I promised to seek justice for you, and I intend to keep that promise.”

The warmth of his palm made me feel safe for the first time in my life.

This was my first face-to-face conversation with the truly awakened Alexander, yet I felt as though we had

known each other for years.

I could not help smiling.

“Since the Duke’s heir has made me a promise, I shall wait and see how you intend to secure justice for me.”

Alexander returned to the warm, approachable manner his spirit had always shown.

The tips of his ears turned faintly red, but his voice remained solemn.

“There is also the marriage contract and wedding my mother promised you. Once I have fully recovered, I will

personally place my seal on the contract and marry you before all our vassals and nobles.”

My cheeks quietly grew warm as well.

“I believe you.”

“Then for now, shall we ask the kitchen to send up a wheel of cheese?”

Alexander burst into delighted laughter, and I began laughing with him.

After all, the deeds to those two estates were already safely in my hands.

The heir of House Windermere was indeed a man who kept his word.

When our wedding day arrived, I would make certain Baron and Baroness Gray witnessed it with their own

eyes.

Who said seeing spirits could bring nothing but misfortune?

Alexander had already proved otherwise.

The spiritual sight I had possessed since birth had never been a curse.

It was a gift that fate had taken years to deliver.

The End.